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Friday, May 30, 2014

A buddy of mine asked me to convert and paint up two Sternguard, specifically as an Executioner and a Mantis Warrior. For the Executioner, I used the standard bits I use for my Marines. For the Mantis Warrior, I used Japanese inspired 3rd party bits. This harkens back to some very old fluff that presented the Mantis Warriors as broadly Japanese themed Space Marines.

Monday, May 26, 2014

I received a commission to convert a Cypher. He wasn't to look as chaotic as the standard Cypher model, and the goal was a world-weary gunfighter. My immediate reaction was to think of Josey Wales, so that was the sort of image I went for. I wanted him to look like he'd had a hard road since the Heresy. I also wanted him so look passive but dangerous, like he wouldn't start trouble but wouldn't hesitate to finish any threats immediately.

Friday, May 23, 2014

The Master of the Forge has the same intermediate statline
as the Chaplain and Librarian, though he swaps a point of WS for a point of BS.
He also comes with artificer armor and a servo-harness. He’s not much of a
combat character, but he can be our shootiest HQ choice because he can take a
conversion beamer. Because this is a heavy weapon that is heavily reliant on
range to be dangerous, it’s best to pair a conversion beamer with a bike so
that you can get to the best firing positions.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Here's my latest Thunderfire Cannon, made from the HITECH Hellfire Cannon (reviewed here). It didn't have any good places for freehand, so I just went with my standard Executioner paint scheme to link it in with the rest of my army.

Copy and paste the award on your blog linking the blogger who has given it to you.

Pass the award to your top 11 blogs with less than 200 followers by
leaving a comment on one of their posts to notify them that they have
won the award and listing them on your own blog.

Sit back and bask in the warm fuzzy feeling that you have made someones day.

There is no obligation to pass the award on to someone else but it is nice if you take the time to do so.

The format doesn't have to be the same as what I've made so long as the
spirit of the award is maintained. It's meant to showcase blogs and
authors and increase readership and community. Whatever method is used
is irrelevant so long as that goal is achieved.

The recipients I've chosen

This is a bit uncomfortable for me, as it seems that I really don't do a good job reading less popular blogs. I seem to start reading a lot of new blogs (particularly about Badab War Chapters and the Blood Angels), but they all seem to peter out and stop posting. Unfortunately, that means I don't have anywhere near 11 blogs to nominate. Here are some blogs that I think are worth checking out.

These are well-written and frequently updated blogs that are really worth reading. The latter one discusses Dropzone Commander quite a bit, and I'm really tempted to get into that game.

The Q & A bit

Why did you start blogging? I started blogging because I got fed up with forums. There was very little real tactical discussion, no room for in-depth discussion, and a pervasive cult of personality around some of the more outspoken members. I wanted to say my piece without being shouted down or yelled at for writing too much, so a blog was the perfect place.

If you could change one thing about the wargaming hobby, what would it be? I only really play Games Workshop games for the moment, so I can only address that. I would change the communities very reactionary, negative reaction to just about every release. There are some more reasonable voices in the community, but they are drowned out by people screaming that the hobby is ending every time GW releases anything. I'm not a fan of a lot of GW's decisions lately, but there's no reason to assume every release is apocalyptic, often before reading it.

What is best in life? I'm a scientist, so discovering something new that no one else knows is what I live for. This applies to wargaming too, and is why I'm often running army lists that aren't the accepted uber-lists. I'm trying out different stuff in the hopes of discovering something new.

Do you want to live forever? Assuming it comes with eternal youth, sure. I'd like to see how everything turns out.

Fame or fortune? Fortune. I'd like to be able to fund my own research.

What miniature are you most proud of having painted? Probably my Thulsa Kane. I think he's a great representation of a character with no official model, and I like to think he's the definitive version of the character at the moment.

How do you deal with burn out? I paint something else, usually something that doesn't have anything to do with my current army. By the time I'm done with these fun projects, I'm usually chomping at the bit to get back to my army.

Why is a raven like a writing desk? They are both portents of doom.

Star Wars or Star Trek? Star Wars, through and through. Star Trek is too clean and utopian, and the whole point is that humanity has evolved beyond strife. I just don't see that happening, and I don't find it very interesting to watch.

If you could only buy from one miniature company from now on, which one would it be? I only really buy GW, so that will have to be my answer. That said, I am getting tired of the negativity that seems so pervasive in the 40K community and I am seriously eying Dropzone Commander, so my answer may change soon.

What is your favorite take out? Fried oysters from my local seafood market.

If you received a Liebster from me then you can answer these same
questions in you own post or you can change them up. It's not like you
are being interviewed for a seat on the security council, so if you
would rather do the obligatory, "My favorite color is" feel free. Once
again participation is voluntary but lets all work together and make the
internet a smaller place. Thanks for reading and stay thirsty.

Monday, May 12, 2014

The Thunderfire Cannon is an amazing unit for a Space Marine army, and I have been looking to add a second one to my army. However, the model, particularly the Techmarine, is very static and difficult to personalize. I already have one of the official models, so I didn't want a second model that was exactly the same.

I found my alternative in the HITECH Miniatures Hellfire Cannon. It is a four-barreled cannon that is the appropriate scale and it was available at a good price, so I picked one up. The cannon itself comes in four pieces.

Friday, May 9, 2014

Amalric is the current Captain of the Fourth Company and has
held that position since before the Badab War. Turanian by birth, Amalric is
aggressive even for a ranking Executioner. He leads his heavily armed Command
Squad, mounted on augmented steeds, directly into the enemy lines. While his
stated objective is to bring the enemy leader to battle and add their skull to
his impressive collection of trophies, his actions also serve to distract the
enemy army and allow the other elements of the Fourth Company to carry out
their roles with minimal opposition.

The Marines under his command recognize that their Captain’s
bravado serves an important tactical role. They greatly respect him for
continually placing himself in the most dangerous situations in order to ensure
his Company’s success. Their loyalty is evident whenever Amalric is challenged,
either by Executioners of other Companies or Space Marines of other Chapters.
Every Fourth Company Sergeant stands ready to defend the honor of their
Captain, and it is rare that the challenger lives long enough for Amalric to
personally hear of the challenge. Once the challenge is brought to Amalric’s
attention, usually when the challenger is another Captain, Amalric will allow
no interference. To date, he has never been defeated and few challengers have
survived their duel. This is particularly impressive as Amalric’s bravado and
brash nature in battle lead to many challenges, particularly from more rigid
and dogmatic Chapters fighting alongside the Executioners.

Monday, May 5, 2014

The Captain is extremely similar to the Chapter Master,
lacking 1 wound, 1 attack, and Orbital
Bombardment. He’s a bit less durable and does a bit less damage, but he
otherwise can be armed and used identically to a Chapter Master. For reasons
lost in the void that is GW rules design, the Terminator Captain is a separate
entry rather than an upgrade to the standard Captain, but none of his rules
change.

Librarian

The Librarian is the budget HQ choice for Space Marines. His
statline is intermediate between a Captain and a Veteran Sergeant, so he won’t
be doing much damage on his own and he’s extremely easy to kill. If you want to
keep him safe, your only real option is Terminator Armor with a storm shield. He
comes with a force weapon of your choice, making him a wild card against enemy
characters and monstrous creatures. Beyond that, he doesn’t really need any
extra equipment. However, it is almost always worth paying the points to make
him a Mastery Level 2 psyker, if only for an extra psychic power.

Friday, May 2, 2014

Here's my Captain to lead my Command Squad. Well, he's a Captain in the background but a Chapter Master in statline. The Chapter Master rules are just too good to pass up and the Executioners Captains are supposed to be exceptionally brutal warlords, so it makes sense to me to represent Captains with the Chapter Master rules. Anyway, here he is.